A keyboard is used for a terminal operation table, such as a typewriter or printer, and ordinarily comprises push-button switches arranged in the form of a matrix, and data are put in the keyboard by pushing the appropriate buttons on the keyboard.
Switches are divided into two types, that is, switches having a mechanical contact element, such as reed switches, and switches having a non-contact switch element such as hall IC. The present invention is directed to a keyboard comprising the former type, i.e., switches having a mechanical contact structure.
The present invention intends to provide keyboards at a low cost by improving the productivity of the assembly-flow production process, especially the switch-assembling step.
Conventional push-button switches for a keyboard are manufactured by preparing many parts separately and assembling them in a certain order. However, this assembling operation requires many steps, and therefore, tests and experiments need to be conducted many times during the assembling process to ensure accuracy and proper quality control. Moreover, according to the conventional assembling process, switch elements are attached one by one to a switch panel, and the assembling operation is very tedious.